functional cognitive impairment. Clinical Neurology Madrid

It is a subtype of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) in which the cognitive symptoms experienced are due to an alteration in the functioning of neural networks rather than damage to brain structure as occurs in neurodegenerative diseases. These cognitive symptoms cause distress and can limit the person’s daily life and can affect their work, social and educational activities, etc.

It is a relatively frequent disorder in a neurology office and it is estimated that about a quarter of the patients who consult for the first time for memory problems come for this reason.

Its diagnosis is made in the consultation when detecting the presence of positive signs suggesting an internal inconsistency, i.e., the ability to perform a task well at certain times, but altered at other times, particularly when the task is the focus of attention. Attentional dysregulation is also observed and the person experiences concentration and attention problems, word finding difficulties, loss of the thread during a conversation, memory lapses, etc.

Factors such as hypervigilance, memory perfectionism, overinterpretation of cognitive failures among others contribute to the problem. It is not a neurodegenerative disease and although the cognitive symptomatology may remain stable, progress or reverse, its identification allows the person to put a name to what is happening and develop effective treatment strategies to improve the quality of life of patients.